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/^\      IS  for  Art  In  the  Cubies'  domain — 

(Not    the    Art    of    the    Ancients,   brand-new  are 
the  Cubies.) 
Archipenko 's  their  guide,   Anatomies   their  bane; 
They  're  the  joy  of  the  mad,   the  despair  of  the  sane, 
(With    their   emerald    hair   and    their  eyes  red  as 
rubies.) 
— A  is  for  Art  in  the  Cubies'  domain. 


^^     IS  for  Beauty  as   Brancusi  views  it. 

— ^    (The    Cubies    all    vow    he    and    Braque    take  the 

Bun.) 
First   you    seize    all    that's   plain    to    the    eye,    then   you 

lose  it; 
Next  you  search  for  the  Soul  and  proceed  to  abuse    it. 

(They  tell  me  it 's  easy  and  no  end   of  fun.) 
— B  is  for  Beauty  as   Brancusi  views  it. 


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IS  for  Color  Cubistic  ad  libitum — 
(Orange  and  blue,  yellow,   purple  and  green.) 
''Throw   them   all   on  your  boards,"    Cubies  say,    ''then 

exhibit  'em!" 
There  '11  be  no  colors  left.  If  we  don't  soon  prohibit  'em! 
(Watch    them    at    work    and    you  '11    see    what    I 
mean.) 
— C  is  for  Color  Cubistic  ad  libitum. 


lO 


IS  for  Duchamp,  the  Deep- Dyed   Deceiver, 
Who,  drawing  accordeons,  labels  them  stairs, 
With  a  lady  that  must  have  been  done  in   a   fever, — 
His    model    won't    see    her,    we    trust,    it    would    grieve 
her! — 
(Should    the   stairway   collapse.  Cubic 's   good    at 
repairs.) 
— D  is  for  Duchamp,  the  Deep-Dyed   Deceiver. 


12 


^   'S  for  the  Ego,  intense  and  Exotic, 

Enjoyed  by  a  Cubie,   and  quaintly  Expressed 


In  a  lachrymose  face  with  a  gaze  idiotic 
When  seen  on  the  canvas. — It's  really  Quixotic 

To  offer  one's  soul  to  the  Cubical  test! 
— E's  for  the  Ego,   intense  and   Exotic, 


14 


'S  for  the  Future  for  which  Cubies  hanker; — 
To   Hals,   Perugino  and  all  that  old  crew 
They  give  up  the  Past  without  envy  or  rancor, 
While    saying    in    tones    than    which    naught    could    be 
franker: 
*'Come,  move  on,  —  it's  our  turn!    They  have  fin- 
ished with  you." 
— F's  for  the  Future  for  which  Cubies  hanker. 


i6 


/r^    IS  for  Gertrude  Stein's  limpid  lucidity, 

v3l 

^^^1    (Eloquent  scribe  of  the   Futurist  soul.) 
Cubies  devour  each  word  with  avidity: 
''Alone  words  lack  sense,"   they  affirm  with  placidity, 
''But   liozv  wise  we'll    be   when  we've   swallowed 
the   whole!" 
— G  is  for  Gertrude  Stein's  limpid   lucidity. 


IS  for  Henri's  young  Red  Top,  the  shaver 
MJ     1^    Whom  Cubies  regard  with  aversion  and  spite. 
His  hfe-hke  appearance  has  won  their  disfavor: 
*'He   might   walk   right   out   of  the   picture!"    they  qua- 
ver,— 
''Why,  only  to  think  of  it  fills  us   with  fright!" 
— H   is  for  Henri's  young  Red  Top  the  shaver. 


20 


W  'S  for  the  Cubies'   Immense  Intuition, — 
M   '*The  only  real  need  of  an  artist,"  they  say: 
*' Without  it  we  all  would  go  straight  to  perdition!" 
Between  you  and  me,   I  've  a  sneaking  suspicion 

The  Cubies  themselves  appear  well  on  the  way 
—  I's  for  the  Cubies'   Immense  Intuition. 


22 


S  for  the  Jam  In  the  Cubles'  headquarters, 
And    the   Jar   that   they   gave   us,   the   first   time 
we  met; 
And  that  same  Jar  of  Jam  from  across  the  blue  waters 
Is  quite  unexcelled  among  those  the  importers 

Have  wafted  us  over  the  ocean  as  yet. 
— J's  for  the  Jam  in  the  Cubies'  headquarters. 


24 


ii 


77/^    'S  for  Kandinsky's  Kute  ''improvisations" — 
^\^    The  Kubies  abound  in  delight  for  his  art: 
They  say  there's  a  Klue  to  his   Kryptic  Kreations. 
By  means  of  Picabia's  deep  ratiocinations 

Some  day  we  may  really  decipher  his  heart. 
—  K's  for  Kandinsky's  Kute  "improvisations." 


26 


Jf^       IS  for  Life  that  is  ''still,"  as  they  name  it, 

Or  ''nature"  that's  "dead,"  as  you  readily  see. 


When    you    think    how    it's    treated,    you    really    can't 

blame  it. 
You'd    wish,    in    it's    place,   yo7i    were   dead.      Just   the 
same  it 
Is  shocking  how  cruel  the  Cubies  can  be! 
— L  is  for  Life  that  is  "still,"  as  they  name  it. 


28 


^^^,     'S  for  Matisse's   Mam'selle   Maroruerlte, 
^A\   yA    (^With  whom  all  the  Cubies  are  madly  in  love;) 
Her  manner  is  so  prepossessing  and  sweet 
That,  if  she  but  had  them,  we'd  fall  at  her  feet! 

(In    her    eyes,    what   a   mmgling    of  serpent  and 
dove!) 
— M  's  for  Matisse's   Mam'selle  Mars^uerite. 


30 


'S  for  the  Nudes  that  the  Cubies  portray, — 
We  wilHngly  vouch  for  their  perfect  propriety, 

Even  while  some  we  regard  with  dismay, — 
For  instance,  the  lady  as  long  as   Broadway: 

With  all  due  respect,  we  don't  crave  her  society! 
■ — N  's  for  the  Nudes  that  the  Cubies  portray. 


32 


ink 


'S  for  Objective  and  Optical  Art, 

(The  kind  we've  been  used   to,  these  long  years 

gone  by,) 
Which  the  Cubic  Objects  to  with  all  of  his  heart: 
"Make     the     Object     Subjective,"     he     says,     "at     the 
start, — 
Just  a  matter  of  Grammar,  as  easy  as  pie!" 
— O  's  for  Objective  and  Optical  Art. 


34 


p^   'S  for  Picasso,   Picabia  and  Party 

-^         (Who  deal  in  abstractions,  distractions  and  such.) 
When,  with  vision  chaotic  and  expletives  hearty, 
You  beg  of  a  Cubic  their  sense  to  impart,  he 

Profoundly  makes  answer:   "In  little  is  much." 
— P's  for  Picasso,   Picabia  and   Party. 


36 


'S  for  the  Oueerness  we  Stand-patters  feel 
When    Progressive   young    Cubles   start   Art   re- 
formation. 
They're  strong  on   Initiative,  praise  the  Square  Deal: 
"Though  the  Cubic  Is  best!"  they  aggressively  squeal; 
"Painting   things  as   you  see  them  Is  rank  defor- 
mation!" 
— Q's  for  the  Oueerness  we  Stand-patters  feel. 


38 


r^)    IS  for  Reason  and  poor  old   Reality, 
^\^    Once  in  the  fashion,  but  now  obsolete. 

Banished  forever  with  grim  actuality. 

Now  the  sole  law  is  one's  own  personality — 

Find  its  Cube  Root  and  you  have  it  complete. 

— R  is  for  Reason  and  poor  old   Reality. 


40 


't^^^    IS  for  Schamberg's  fair  dame  at  her  'phone, 
^      Conversino^  with  G.   Stein,  the  Futurist  scribe, 


The  Cubies,  eavesdropping,  hear  Gertrude  bemoan: 
"This  one  feehng  many  far  seeming  alone, 

The  bluer  the  bliss  the  redder  the  bribe!" 
— S   is  for  Schamberg's  fair  dame  at  her  'phone. 


42 


T 


'S  for  tlie  Type  of  Tree  Chabaud's  erected. 
The  Cubies  insist  it's  as  useful  as  fair 


For  a  game  that  they  play  when  they're  feeling  dejected, 
(A  use  which  not  every  one  would  have  detected,) 

Lassoing  the  branches  with  rings  of  their  hair. 
— T  s  for  the  Type  of  Tree  Chabaud's  erected. 


44 


y'S  for  the   Union  so   Utterly   Useless 
Uniting  the  members  that  make  up  the  whole. 
Arainst  it  the  Cubies  was^e  war  that  is  truceless: 
''Such  rage  for  convention,"  they  cry,    "is  excuseless! 

Away  with  cohesion,  and  set  free  the  Soul!" 
—  U  's  for  the  Union  so  Utterly  Useless. 


46 


IS  for  Villon's   musicianlv  lady 

(With  charm   evanescent  and  Visage  remote.) 
The  picnics  he  gives  in  his  orchards  so  shady 
Account  for  his  hit  with  the  Cubes.     I  'm  afraid  he 

Will  spoil  them  completely  for  plain  table  d'hote. 
— V  is  for  Villon's  musicianly  lady. 


48 


.  .  .  .,     'S  for  Woolworth,  the  buildinor  so  stable, 

Erected  with  nickels  and  dimes  by  us  all,) 


\\  hich  Cubies  paint  writhing  from  cellar  to  gable, 
Distinctly  resembling  the  Tower  of  Babel, 

Some  decades  ago,  just  preceding  its  fall. 
— 'W 's  for  Woolworth,  the  building  so  stable. 


50 


IS  the  Xit,  Xtremely  alluring 

When  Cubies  invite  us  to  study  their  Art; 
And  the  Xquisite  pain  we  are  sadly  enduring 
The  while  they  protest,  with  an  air  reassuring: 

"  Of  course  this  is  merely  a  diffident  start !'' 
— X  is  the  Xit,  Xtremely  alluring. 


52 


¥'S  for  the  Yawn  overcomino^  each  Cubie 
At  sight  of  a  painting  not  done  in  his  style: 
"If  a  man  doesn't  use  all  the  colors,  from  ruby 
To  sapphire  and  emerald  and  topaz  —  the  booby!  — 

To  look  at  Ms  canvas  is  not  worth  one's  while!' 
— Y's  for  the  Yawn  overcoming  each  Cubie. 


54 


IS  for  Zak's  summer-time  composition; 
v^^\   The  Cubies  regard  his  plump  hills  with  delight. 
They  are  somewhat  fatigued  after  this  exhibition 
And  tempted  to  slumber;  so,  with  your  permission, 

We'll  tuck  them    in    snugly   and   bid  them  good- 
night. 
— Z  is  for  Zak's  summer-time  composition. 


56 


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